Agave americana (maguey) is a huge, sharp, blue-green succulent that blooms once, then dies. The flower spike ranges from 12-25 feet (3.5-7.5m) in height — this one by our driveway is just getting started. The bloom trigger mechanism is not well understood, but it generally flowers at about 10 years of age. The fruit are edible — I’ll be collecting and sautéing them when the time comes.
Usually when I sketch the laughing buddha he ends up looking angry, but I’ve realised that’s because I’m drawing him from the side. It’s easier to capture the joy from this angle.
The Exposition Park Rose Garden is a historic 7-acre site containing more than 20,000 rose bushes and more than 200 varieties. My favourite parts of it are the corners, where no roses are growing. This is the south-west corner, tucked between the Natural History Museum and the space shuttle’s external fuel tank.
The fernery is a never ending source of visual delight and sketching inspiration. The very first time I came to the house (nearly ten years ago) I had a vision for what this space could be 🌿🪴
Apparently Callistemons are now Melaleucas. I’ll just keep calling them Bottlebrushes.
In Liz Steel’s Sketchbook Design class, she shows how, even if you don’t particularly like your first sketch, you can rescue the spread by adding another one, and/or other design elements. I’m not going to win any awards with this spread, but it’s somewhat improved from where it was an hour earlier.
We have a low retaining wall that was built long ago with an old hollow metal drugstore sign, supported in front by a pile of broken concrete. Yesterday morning I realised that bees have taken up residence inside the sign. I was working around that wall the day before, weeding and watering, and didn’t notice any activity. Was I just oblivious? Or did they move in overnight? Either way, they are welcome.
A little corner of our place, where textures soft, scratchy, smooth, rough, flaky and crumbly play nicely together.
This gift from Annette lives on a shady shelf outside my kitchen window, where it seems very happy, and makes me smile daily.
hashiworks 